Mini-Contest #66
The 66th OTP mini-contest launched in August 2026. This mini-contest asked contestants to write a story between 25 and 50 words long that was exactly three sentence long. The first sentence should be the story’s beginning, the second its middle, and the third its end.
We received 278 qualified entries. Here are the winning entries, then the honorable mentions. All six of the winners are new to OTP.
Third Place by Hope Lourie Killcoyne (new to OTP)
Last week, after the dance, when Eddy Jr. told me he knew that you loved me, I was over the moon. But tonight, driving by and seeing you and BillieAnn holding hands right outside the diner, I am decidedly under it.
And that’s a much safer place to be.
Second Place by Greg Sullivan (new to OTP)
He didn’t like tuna casserole. He had never liked tuna casserole. But it was her favorite dish to cook, so it was his favorite meal to eat.
First Place by Heather Cameron (new to OTP)
Loulouetta and I draped ourselves in the castoff ball gowns and necklaces stored in Maman’s steamer trunk. But already, at seven, my sister possessed a certain je-ne-sais-quoi besides which I appeared frumpy, no matter how many tulle skirts or silk blouses I layered. So I shut her in the trunk.
Honorable Mentions (no money, just fame)
Three other entries earned honorable mentions.
I pitied my poor father who lamented about the burden and cost of raising the seven children that God gave him. Then twelve-year-old know-it-all Suzanne Blaney slept over and told me the facts of life. I let God off the hook and I haven’t blamed Him for anything else since.
by Margaret Vaughan (new to OTP)
It’s our first date, and my Dr. Pepper is so greasy it slips out of my hand and spills into his lap. He had to take me to a dive two hours away without a second pair of pants. How is it we’re living together, years later, with two cats?
by Candace Carnes (new to OTP)
The girl was anti-AI until the robots got voices and faces. Two months later, when the power went down, her best friend, boyfriend, and pet grew deathly still. After hours left alone, the silence driving her mad, she decided to unplug and went in search of something self-sustaining.
by Kelly Murashige (new to OTP)
Congratulations to the winners and our sincere thanks to everyone who entered the mini-contest.